Cauchemar
by HandsxTouchingxHands
Summary: Nightmare:A dream arousing feelings of intense fear, horror, and distress.Or even a way to keep yourself from becoming addicted to dreams. When Arthur promises to help Ariadne fight her addiction to dreaming, he ends up hurting her along the way. A/A


_**Until We Bleed**_

_**Hi guys! I'm coming up with this on the spot! So if it sucks...just like don't judge I'm tired. The title is a song bye Lykke Li and it's pretty good. I really like where I'm going with this story and I decided its going to be more a/a as opposed to a/a and a/e so no more desired love triangle. This chapter may seem like she's more attracted to Eames but thats just me going into detail about him because I think he's sexy. Although I think Arthur is too :) I think I might make an OC for Eames eventually but for now, she is attracted to them both. This story is gonna go pretty deep and I really hope you all like it!**_

_**I do not own inception all rights belong to Christopher Nolan**_

…_**...**_

Ariadne's teeth chattered as she walked through the cold Paris afternoon. She pulled her beanie tighter around her head carefully so she wouldn't crush her chestnut waves.

She was on her way to the warehouse, a place she hadn't been to in a few months. For awhile she thought she was lost but she could see it in the distance. The coldness didn't bother Ariadne anymore as she took in the beautiful January day.

Snow covered the leafless trees ,the tops of buildings and a good portion of the sidewalk. She loved Paris and couldn't imagine ever moving away. If she was dressed warmer, she would skip the team meeting and just sit outside. Too bad Arthur insisted that she was punctual today. She remembered the call she received from him. He sounded distracted but it seemed urgent so here she was.

She walked up to the door and paused, wondering if she should knock or just walk in. She eventually decided to walk in.

Inside she found Arthur sitting alone at a conference table in the middle of the room. His feet rested on the top of the table and he didn't look up from his newspaper. The door slammed behind Ariadne and he didn't even flinch.

"Take off your shoes." He mumbled. Ariadne looked down at her gray boots that were caked in snow. Maybe she shouldn't have cut through the park. She rolled her eyes and crouched down.

"Can you at least help me?" She whined. Arthur looked up and smirked. "I thought you were Eames." He stood up and walked over to her. Ariadne tugged on her boots and grunted in annoyance. He grabbed one of her boots and yanked it off. He chuckled at her red reindeer socks. "Nice socks." He commented.

"Yeah yeah just get the other boot." Ariadne grumbled. Arthur yanked off the other boot and opened the door. He slapped the boots on the ground until the snow fell off. He closed the doors and placed her boots neatly next to his shoes. He offered her a hand.

"Come on. We have a lot to work on." He sighed. She took his hand and he pulled her up. His hand lingered in hers for a few seconds. His palms were warm and pressed against hers. "How have you been?"

Ariadne looked down and felt goose bumps crawl up her arms. "Lost. I haven't been able to connect with the real world...it scares me." Ariadne admitted. Arthur drew his hand away and nodded. "I've had the same problems before. I understand. It's hard." He wandered over the the conference table. Ariadne trailed close behind. "How do you do it?" She asked him. Arthur shook his head. "It's- it's not a solution for you. You'll get over it on your own." He rolled the sleeves of his sweater up and smoothed his hair back.

"Please tell me." Ariadne pleaded. Arthur turned around and looked her in the eyes. "Nightmares. I create nightmares. Well Cobb created nightmares for me. Now that my addiction is gone, I don't need them anymore." He explained. Ariadne paced back and forth, considering this as an option. It was pretty smart. Scaring you out of your dreams. It makes dreaming feel more like work. That's how Arthur stays so professional.

"Make me a nightmare."

Arthur laughed bitterly and started writing on the giant white board. "No way in hell."

She tugged a chair out from under the table and sat down. "Please. I don't want to be like _Mal_."

At the mention of her name Arthur's marker screeched loudly and he froze. He pictured Mal and her mental and emotional issues. He pictured them on Ariadne. It was logical. It could happen to a girl like Ariadne. They were so very different, yet alike in some ways. He grabbed the eraser and erased the mark on the board.

"Okay. I'll do it. I'm not going to like it but I'll do it." He grumbled. He took a note pad and pen from a nearby desk and tossed it to Ariadne. "Write down a list of fears." Arthur ordered. If Ariadne wasn't scared before, she was now. A list of fears? She didn't expect him to go that far. "But wouldn't I expect all this in the dream?" She asked.

Arthur shook his head no. "No I'll mix your fears with the average persons fears and perhaps some of my own."

Ariadne gulped and stared at the blank sheet of paper. She didn't even know where to start. Suddenly the door opened and Eames strolled in. "Afternoon Ariadne," He said, completely ignoring Arthur. He walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "sketching the day away as usual?" He asked. Ariadne shook her head.

"I'm creating a nightmare for her Eames. She's listing fears." Arthur called. Eames sat down next to Ariadne and huffed. "You were a wreck for weeks after Cobb's nightmare." Eames turned to Ariadne. "He didn't sleep a wink. He was too afraid!" Eames cried out.

Ariadne looked up at Arthur. "You never mentioned that."

Arthur didn't look up. "I thought it was presumable. Nightmares usually cause fear. That's why we use them to our advantage." He said.

Eames snorted and leaned back in his chair. "Darling, this whole 'dream therapy' stuff is a load of rubbish."

Ariadne took her beanie off her sighed. "Just help me out here Eames. I need a good list of fears in order to make this nightmare seem realistic."

Eames came up with some pretty good suggestions. She jotted a few of them down and then came down to on more. She knew what she wanted to put down but she refused to put it down. It was her biggest fear. Something she couldn't bear seeing in her nightmare. Eames knew she was keeping something from him.

"What is it? You're holding back from me darling. Tell me what it is." He stared her down, completely serious. Arthur watched them from the corner of his eye.

"I'll write it down at the end I just- It's too hard for me to put it down." She said shaking her head.

Eames shrugged and patted her shoulder. "I understand. This is hard to do. You're a brave girl."

_Girl? _What? What is it about her that makes her seem like a child? She's twenty-three years old not ten. She gave him a dark look before scooting away from the table. She stood up and took the pad and pen with her to the lawn chairs set up by the wall.

"Did I say something?" Eames asked Arthur quietly. Arthur gave him a small smile.

"Yeah but you'll probably think it's not that big of a deal."

Eames smirked. "Try me."

"You called her a girl." Arthur stated. Eames raised his eyebrows and waved his hand as if saying 'and?'

"That's her gender my dear fellow. I didn't call her a man."

"Yes but you didn't call her a woman either. That's what she is. A woman. A twenty-three year old woman. I've made the mistake before too." Arthur explained.

"_Arthur: 1. Eames:0" _Ariadne thought to herself.

"You're a sexy woman Ariadne." Eames called out to her. She looked up and rolled her eyes. Eames just laughed.

"Eames you can go screw yourself." Ariadne shouted back.

Eames and Arthur started working on their next job's details while Ariadne stared at her list. One more fear that she was so afraid of, she didn't even have the courage to put it down. She closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.

It was that her older brother, Christoph, would die. He was her best friend and her rock. He was the reason she was who she was. The reason she decided to pursue her dreams to become an architect. He was the greatest brother a girl could have. He protected her from everything to the 'monsters' in her closet when she was five and he was ten, to the boys that broke her heart when she was 15 and he was 20. Her and her ex- boyfriend Talon were always on and off because he was never really good to her. Whenever they broke up, Christoph would casually walk down the streets to Talon's house, baseball bat in hand to scare him off. Of course, Ariadne hated when he did this. How embarrassing.

Christoph wasn't an average man though. No of course not. He was troubled in the head. The doctors could never seem to understand what was going on in his head. He would wake up some nights screaming and yelling at imaginary people. Ever since Christoph was sixteen. It was sad and hard to see him like that. He wasn't violent towards her. Well he was once but she made the mistake of trying to wake him up from one of his dreams. Only eleven years old. She had to wear turtle necks to school everyday for a week or so to hide the bruises that were in the shape of finger prints that danced across her neck.

She knew that it wasn't him who tried choking her. He was asleep, how could he have known? She finally wrote down her last fear and sighed. This wouldn't be easy but she had to try.

She handed the list to Arthur and he examined it. "Thank you Ariadne. That's all for now."

Ariadne gave him a puzzled look. "Don't you need more information?"

"It's my job to research people. I'm used to it." He stated. She nodded slightly and looked over at Eames.

It took her awhile to realize that she was sitting alone in a warehouse with two single, good-looking men who were absolutely fascinated with her.

In some ways, she was fascinated by them too. Like Eames with his sarcasm and taunting ways. He played it off like a tough guy but she knew deep down, he had a weakness for girls like her. She knew women swooned over his accent, who wouldn't?

Then there was Arthur. God he was the full package. His slightly lanky yet muscular body structure with his strong facial structure and dark eyes. Plus he was smart.

They drew her in different ways and she couldn't decide if this sudden attraction to the two of them was smart or perhaps a disaster waiting to happen. At this point she wouldn't mind having either of them.

When she realized that she was staring she caught herself and blushed. It was too late. They knew.

"Something on your mind dear?" Eames asked. She looked up at the two of them. Eames, with his half unbuttoned peach shirt and pale brown trousers, stood with his arms crossed at his stomach looking effortless. Arthur, with his black sweater and royal blue tie tucked in, looked like a Hugo Boss model.

"Not really. Just thinking of how lucky I am to have the both of you." She sighed. Eames and Arthur exchanged looks.

"Is she being sarcastic?" Eames asked him. "Are you being sarcastic?" Eames asked her. She laughed and ran her hand through her hair.

"No not at all. I am really lucky." She beamed at the two of them. Arthur still didn't look convinced but she got Eames's attention.

"Aw come here love. You are the most adorable thing." Eames stated as her hugged her. She smirked to herself. Being this close to Eames almost felt intoxicating. He smelled so good, like old spice and cigars. He parted too soon and she saw Arthur coming over. _Oh hell yes. _He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm happy to have you on the team." He purred into her ear. This sent shivers down her spine. Not only did he smell good too, but he held her so tightly and securely.

Who needs drugs when you have a hot Englishman and smart and sexy Hugo Boss model?

He held on longer and Eames had to intervene. She almost scolded him for doing so but she kept her cool and just smiled at them both.

The best part was that neither of them had any idea she was the least bit attracted to him. At least, that's what she knew the bast part was.

What she didn't know, was that they were very much so attracted to her as well. Of course if she knew this, it would make things way more interesting

**To Be Continued.**

…**...**

_**Hey guys. So the first chapters done WOOHOO! And it's only 1:55 am! (5 second dance party)**_

_**Uh yeah so as you can see, I made Ariadne a bit of a hoe in the way that she is attracted to two men that she works with and blah blah blah.**_

_**But yeah, please review! It would mean the world to me! Tell me what you think of the nightmares idea! Ooooh! And I decided it's gonna be more a/a as opposed to both a/a and a/e**_

_**Ciao!**_


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